June 13, 2017 AT 9:12 am

Long, long ago in a browser version far, far forgotten, I bookmarked a picture from the Flickr photostream for the Library of Congress. At the time the picture was titled, “What’s this gadget?” The “gadget” has since been identified – the machine is visibly a lathe, but I was always intrigued by the circular, almost steampunk contraption atop the tool. More details below!

C. W. (Clarence Wirt) Hecox (1872-1951), an instructor in the machine shop at McKinley Training School, Washington, DC, supervising a student using a lathe in the manufacture of practice shells for the U.S. Navy. The basket weave dome is a venting cover for the lathe motor (in addition to the other safety features Bill Forbes said).
– excerpted from original caption, with information added. [1] [2]